It's not fair!
by thesameguest
Summary: Callie is settling and she starts butting heads with Stef, although she wouldn't like to. Set after 1x18. No people or animals were harmed in this scene. Fluffy contents.


**More fluff which was buzzing around in my head. Thanks once more a lot to _obsessedatopia_ for her great support and geographical hints!^^**

Mariana removed her headphones as the music she was listening to was being interrupted by voices yelling from downstairs. After a while, she heard somebody running noisily up the stairs, then her sister appeared and rushed into their room, visibly upset and on the verge of tears. "What happened?" Mariana asked, widening her eyes.

"Your Mom happened" the older girl snapped, plopping down angrily on her bed.

"Hey, since when is she _my_ Mom again? What did she do?" Mariana looked puzzled. Callie was usually quiet and down-to-earth and shouting back at Stef was definitely out of character for her.

"She freaked out because I wasn't home and forgot my phone and she yelled at me like I was going to run away or something and that's ridiculous!" Callie explained in a rush, still angry. She still couldn't believe her foster mom had made such a scene. "I just needed to go to the stationery store to find some stuff for Art class" Callie continued, starting to calm down a little "Nobody was home and I thought it would have taken like 5 minutes and I would have come back before all of you. I also was running out of money on my phone, so I just left a note on the kitchen counter, but apparently they didn't find it because someone put some bags over there. The closest shop didn't have everything I needed, so I had to walk to the mall. Jeez, I've been out for less than an hour, anyway!" .

Mariana nodded in acknowledgement. "And she went all '_You know you're supposed to let us know where you are at all times!Your phone is for communicating with us'!_" the younger girl added, in a pretty accurate imitation of Stef in her authoritarian mode. "If she also called you 'young lady', I guess we're like blood sisters now!" Mariana continued playfully, trying to lighten Callie's mood and obtaining a weak smirk. "Hey, relax, it's not a big deal" the younger girl sat by her sister's side.

"It _is_" Callie answered "because apparently your moms are giving me zero trust at the moment. She even asked me if I was hanging out with Daphne…or Brandon".

Mariana nodded, giving a sympathetic sigh. This was a delicate issue. All she knew was that Callie had been asked not to see her friends from Girls United for a while, and this had been an extra blow for her. Making friends at Anchor Beach wasn't immediate nor easy, and Callie's situation with Brandon was not painless either, with the confused feelings it gave her to disentangle. It really sucked. "I get you. Mom can be rough sometimes. Especially when she goes into overprotective mode. Every now and then she doesn't _think_ a lot before acting, you know" the girl added matter-of-factly, wincing her mouth.

"She's never played bad cop with me before. It was rude. And unfair" Callie continued, looking less angry and more hurt. "Don't take it too bad. Some fights with Moms will happen, since you're stuck with us" Mariana said playfully, putting a hand on Callie's shoulder. It had obviously been a misunderstanding, but she was feeling bad for her sister, who still looked like she was fighting tears. "Probably she was just scared, because of…you know. _Our_ parents turn irrational, sometimes. Even Lena does".

The older kid took a deep breath. She was becoming fond of all of her foster family, but Stef had been special for her from her first days in the house, in spite of their curt introduction. Callie just felt home around the blonde cop, as much as this feeling almost made her feel dizzy at the beginning, she also enjoyed Stef fussing over her, every now and then. The older woman was strong and caring, and her attentions made her feel stronger and worthy. She had been told off once or twice, but had never seen her foster mom so mad at her. She knew she still had to bear someway the consequences of the angst she had caused to her and Lena, but it was painful to see that her commitment wasn't enough yet to win their doubts.

"I got it…I already screwed it up once" Callie muttered "But I'm not going to do it twice. I wish they knew it".

Mariana nodded and squeezed her sister's hand. "They know that. I'm sure Mama is talking some sense into Mom right now".

* * *

Lena walked out to the porch, where her restless wife was trying to pull herself together. She wrapped her arms around her back, resting softly her chin on the blonde's shoulder. "You overreacted, you know that" she proposed calmly.

"Are you taking her side or mine?!" Stef muttered slowly. The brunette raised ironically her brow and smiled. "_Maybe_ I overreacted, but anyway, she's not allowed to talk back and to…to storm away like that!" Now that she was calming down, Stef was just faking a stern tone.

"She didn't storm away. You sent her to her room, remember?" the brunette argued calmly.

"She was already running upstairs when I did" the blonde continued with a mock defeated tone. Lena smiled again – if Stef was starting to see the funny details of the scene and to pout like their kids, things were on their way to get fixed. "Ok…I know. It was a horrible day at work, I came home all edgy and then – I don't know what I was thinking when we didn't find Callie." the blonde admitted more seriously, after a pause.

"You thought immediately of the worst scenario. And, honey, she did snap at you, but, come on…Callie looks up at you as if you were a laid back version of Wonder Woman all the time. I'm a little jealous that she doesn't look at me like that, to be honest. You've never yelled at her before, she didn't feel she was wrong and she got a little upset, which is pretty normal. She's a teenager, not a saint" Lena added, raising her brow again.

Stef kept silent for a little while, then she smiled slowly, sweetly at Lena. This is one of the many things I love about this woman, Lena thought, smiling back at her wife. She's impulsive and stubborn, but she can never stay angry for a long time. And her smile is warm enough to light up an auditorium.

The blonde sticked out her tongue, letting out a small, smug laugh. "So you think…Wonder Woman? Really?".

* * *

It was a quiet dinner. As it was Friday, the twins were hanging out with friends, so Jude enjoyed being the only child. The atmosphere had turned relaxed again, but Callie was faking a headache to avoid coming downstairs.  
"You know she can't get to do that" Stef whispered to her partner after dinner, while they were cleaning up. "A fake headache, come _on_! We're not on one of those family dramas you watch on tv…"

"Let her be, honey. Callie's entitled to be alone sometimes". It was a rare privilege in a house of seven, Lena added in her mind. "Although _somebody_ could try and talk to her. I'm starting algebra with Jude upstairs in a while. Hint hint" the brunette said, leaving her wife with a pat on her hip.

Stef stood there with her mouth quizzically open, full aware that she was acting like one of her children right then. After dinner it always seemed extra tiring to play the parent, although she knew Lena was right.  
_Didn't I sign some pre-marriage contract telling Lena would deal with the kids when they got pissed at me after 7 p.m?_, she thought hopelessly.

She moved to the living room couch, temporizing with some papers which needed to be fixed – in another moment. A polite cough made her raise her eyes from the documents – Callie was standing there, wearing a discomforted expression which made Stef instantly want to hug her. She raised her brow, instead. "Hey…come here, sit down". The girl silently obeyed.

"I'm sorry…for snapping at you" she started. She was not one for beating around the bush. "I just got mad. Because I didn't mean to…hmm…upset you or anything. I didn't mean to do anything wrong".

Stef nodded. Emotional intelligence. A couple of years and some "hmms" less and the girl will process everything just like Lena, she thought, trying to suppress a smile and keeping her composure. She was feeling bad, now, for barking to this kid who was usually nothing but sweet and sort of accomplice to her. One who didn't roll eyes yet at her bad humour and abrupt calls in the morning and didn't flinch away anymore from her Mama Bear-style cuddles.

"I'm sorry, too. For raising my voice and coming down hard on you for the wrong reason". Callie imperceptibly nodded. Stef's tone was calm and her gaze kind, but she didn't know what to expect: more scolding or an apology?

"It was a rough day at work, I was pretty tired and pissed, and when we didn't find you _and_ found your phone…It's silly, but I panicked. It seems I still need to process for good your excursion to New Mexico, young lady". So now I'm blood sisters with Mariana, Callie thought for a second, before wondering in her mind how the heck Stef could manage sounding patronizing, tender and talking to her like she was an adult all at the same time.

"I know. I feel terrible for the trouble I caused to all of you" the girl answered, more shyly. "I understand you don't feel like trusting me 100%. But I wish you could trust me more than… 5%...?" The two of them shared a smile, then Callie rested her gaze confidently in Stef's eyes, while the older woman took her hand, intertwining fingers. "Yes, I got it. You shouted something pretty similar at me before."

"I'm sorry. Really" Callie blushed, feeling a little ashamed of her previous outburst. She didn't expect to gain so much confidence in her new environment so fast. Confidence enough to yell back at the adult she had cared for most in years. Actually, she had only yelled at adults she hated – and for a good reason – before.

"You're right, though. The more we rely on you, the better it will work. However…we're human and not perfect. I'm not, definitely. Lena and I have been angry, but above all sad and scared as hell when you left, and we still are somewhat…tense about it. It's not that we don't trust you, it's just – we all need some time to get over it." Stef was speaking honestly, her eyes showing real sorrow, which made Callie feel even more guilty.

"It wasn't easy, you know, love. Even when we knew you were safe – it was heartbreaking not being able to bring you back home the very next day. And then accepting that maybe you would have never come back to live with us. I guess it was an emotional roller coaster for all of us. And now we're so happy you're here but we're afraid, too. As you are" Stef suggested, still holding her foster daughter's hand and gently stroking it. "Nobody knows how many bumps on the road we'll find. By the way, you know, this probably won't be the last time we fight, either. I still quarrel with my Mom. Don't be scared of that. You can be mad at me and I can be mad at you, that doesn't change anything. All I can assure you is that Lena and I really, really want you to be our child _and_ to be the happiest you can be. We hope one thing won't obstruct the other."

Callie dropped her eyes as she started feeling a little overwhelmed. A part of her still refused to acknowledge all of these complex feelings these people were nonchalantly pouring on her and the load of responsibility they implied for her, which went far beyond strict rules about her curfew. "I actually _am_ a little afraid" the teen admitted, after a pause, with a small smile. "But…I really want you to know that I don't want to screw things up anymore. I don't want to let _you_ down again." Callie looked suddenly so small and vulnerable despite her serious tone, that Stef couldn't help smiling and pulling the girl close to her.

"I know, babe – don't worry, if you cross state lines again without permission , we'll ground you until you come of age so you'll have plenty of time to schedule the rest of your life and to figure out all the ways not to screw up in the future" she answered in an openly playful tone. Callie easily surrendered to her foster mother's irrepressible bear-hug instinct with a small chuckle, resting her head on Stef's shoulder and soaking into the immediate sense of relief and safety this gave to her. God, this hugging thing was addicting and she was consciously accepting it. "I love you, bug" the blonde whispered cheerfully to her kid, while holding her tight. "You know what? I could use my residual superpowers to make you a sandwich. Unless you've still got headache". A small, muffled voice came from her neck. "I didn't hear you, honey. You're speaking to my lungs". Callie chuckled shyly and repeated, with a slightly louder voice "Love you too, Supermom".


End file.
